A few hours into the run my feet, face and hands froze, my hat barely kept my head warm...This was my first winter night time outing in the wind and ice.
Bit of an open question: What gear do you wear/can you recommend for freezing/cold/wet/snowy days/nights in the Lakes?
Any help much appreciated before I splash the hard earned cash.
Huw
I think I need a balaclava
I think one of the most important items is a pair of decent gloves ie windproof and water-resistant. I used to wear thin-ish woolly gloves, till they got particularly wet one time and I suddenly realised that the icy wind, coupled with wet gloves was having a cooling (nay, freezing!!!!) effect on my hands.
Decent running tights as well, but check the zips out; I now make sure they're plastic (including the zip itself) otherwise they seem to react badly with washing powders and can end up knackered (and they ain't cheap!)
I'm sure other's have loads of suggestions/favourites as well.
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I rarely find myself cold when running in whatever weather unless of course I stop. I always find tights, long sleeve thermal, pertex type jacket, a hat that covers the ears & windtex type gloves the absolute max I need. Today I have just been out in shorts and short sleeve thermal and was fine - I guess we all cope with wet & cold differently, my only advice would be whatever you wear make sure it is a technical garment and not a cotton T-shirt or such like & make sure you carry extra gear in case anything untoward should happen. Of course if you are running with a HR in the 120's, your central heating won't be as effective as when your HR is in the 150's so working harder helps
I find there is as much a risk of overheating and then sweating and getting chilled as of underdressing, so picking the right layers is the trick.
If it is really cold and/or windy, I wear tights with windshell pants (no fleece - too hot), a thin wicking baselayer top (Craft or Helly), a microfleece top on top of that and a windbreaker over that which can be unzipped as needed. For head a thin wicking hat (Craft or Manzella), with the Craft Pro-something balaclava over that (the one with windstopper neck and chin) - you can actually breathe through that. Hands are the hardest thing - I use powerstretch liner gloves with thin wind shell mitts (polyester microfiber) over those. Feet are easy - just keep moving(smartwool running socks and my regular trail shoes or else the goretex trail shoes to block wind/keep snow out). If I'm running through muck or snow I also use mini-gaiters.
I don't usually get cold unless I stop.
Hope that helps. Winter is too long where I live to stop running for the winter! Of course, if we ever got snow, I'd be breaking out the snowshoes or better still xc skis.
Huw, if it's blowing a real hooley:-
Headgear - Running Bear 'Storm Cap'. The best piece of headgear that I've ever owned.
Upper Body - Modern long-sleeve Helly Hansen Lifa or club's 'winter shirt' - from Vega via Pete Bland, just about as good as the Lifa. Plus either:- Calange pull-on in aqua-block pertex, or Montane equivalent of Buffalo's 'lightweight / high-activity' doubleP pull-on, or Mountain Equipment 'Pac-lite' single skin GoreTex jacket.
Lower Body & Legs - pertex shorts and Nike 'dry-fit' 3/4 capris
Feet - SealSkinz & Walshes
Hands - cheapo (£4) Gelert gloves, stocked by the local sports shop for goal-keepers!
As back-up in the Rock&Run bumbag (23 years old and still functioning well) - NorthFace 'sticky, thicky windies' (gloves), either R&R pertex overtrousers or cheap (£8) but v. lightweight, fully taped and fully waterproof o/trousers, plus thin micro-fleece pull-on (Calange).
Never had to retreat and never felt uncomfortable.
Wow, a surprisingly conservative list from "Mr Overdressed" W-D there! (he's bound to retaliate with a "Mr Underdressed Trundler" reply now)!
Last night I was out with the Bats on The Calf (from Sedbergh) I underestimated how cold the wind was and was pretty uncomfortable by the summit. Having a group with mixed abilities meant I wasn't going fast enough to keep warm! My gear was normal Walshes and Mono Skin socks, Sub 4 Thermal tights with normal shorts underneath, a Duofold long sleeved thermal with a Nalini short-sleeved cycling top over it, RonHill wooly glove and a Wierd Fish wooly hat. At the col below Calders I stopped and donned a very thin RonHill pertex cag, which made a big difference.
The wind was bitterly cold and patches of mud were beginning to freeze but the moon was out in a fairly clear sky so no precipitation.
The return run with the wind behind us was much more comfortable but with hindsight I could have done with 1) my Helly Hansen 'windshield' briefs to protect vital parts of my person from the cruel wind () 2) some windproof gloves 3) a balaclava or hat that covered more of the face and 4) my fleece-lined Marmot pertex top! The gear I had on is adequate for 90% of winter runs but when it's REALLy cold that little bit extra is nice!
Should know better by now......
But Trundler being Trundler he will try and do all 100% on what he knows is good for only 90%. As you say - should know better by now!
lidls have thermal vests at £4.99 and Functional Climate Control Underwear
at £12.99 on offer at the moment
http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pa...1122.index.ar8
Surely this is the whole point. Any one can be warm if you run hard enough with a basic minimum of kit. But if you have to stop for what ever reason it's then you got to ask your self, will my kit keep me warm enough for long enough.Originally Posted by dogrunner
Re: Winter Running Gear.
Has anyone tried running in a Helly prowool top? As a newcomer to fell running I had thought this top would be too warm and so have only used it for backpacking in cold weathter - but now I'm not so sure.
I was out running from Kirkland up onto the Cross Fell range (N. Pennines)today with a start temperture of 0 degree at Kirkland and (according to a walker shivering behind the Cross Fell shelter) -6 on the summit. Despite the brilliant sunshine it was perishing on the tops and a case of keeping run or die! Things were not helped that its a steep grindling pull up to the fell so i was covered in sweat once i reached the summit plateau. A prowool top might have been too heavy for the ascent. As it was I was wearing Ron Hill tracksters over Helly briefs, an old Lifa top and an ancient Buffalo windshirt - all of which are usually fine. On my feet were Mudclaw 330's and INOV8 socks. This was clearly only marginally adequate. The mudclaws were not really up to the ice and if I'd slipped badly things could have become very interesting. Without wanting to turn things into a mini-backpacking run, how do expereinced runners determine what to wear? Any advice much appreciated.
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